Overview
- Vadym Skibitskyi of Ukraine’s military intelligence, in comments published Friday, said Moscow is readying a spring–summer ground offensive to seize all of Donbas by September and has expanded Iskander missile output as Ukraine seeks more modern air defenses.
- The Ukrainian General Staff reported strikes on Russian and occupied targets, including a storage site for assault boats in Crimea, along with command posts and logistics hubs, as Kyiv tries to blunt Russia’s buildup.
- Ukrainian airborne forces said Russia is massing troops and equipment on the southern edge of Mirnograd and using dense housing for cover, while launching drones from urban areas with operators kept farther away to cut Ukraine’s response time.
- Romania’s defense ministry said a Russian drone violated its airspace overnight during attacks on Ukraine, and Ukraine’s security service charged a Russian GRU officer with recruiting a 17-year-old to scout a thermal power plant for strikes.
- France and the UK said they will lead a defensive freedom-of-navigation mission in the Strait of Hormuz once a durable peace holds there, as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the Iran war risks slowing weapons deliveries to Ukraine and urged more air-defense support.